US Marines vs. Mexican Lancers : The Brutal Story Of The Battle Of San Pasqual | FULL DOCUMENTARY

In the year 1846, California finds itself in a state of utter upheaval. As the Mexican-American War rages, this northernmost territory of Mexico is ablaze with political fervor amongst its citizens as the battle for what will become the state of California unfolds.

As the fight for territory continues, the American forces seize and hold any ground that they are able to. Though they have been driven from much of the Northern Coast, the American forces- commanded by Robert F. Stockton- manage to hold on to the port of San Diego. U.S. Marine officer Captain James Gillespie is appointed to hold this port with his force of Marines, as the rest of the city increasingly falls until the control of Mexican Army forces.

Meanwhile, Captain Stephen W. Kearney and his force of mounted U.S. Army dragoons is marching West across the inhospitable deserts of the American southwest in order to reinforce their compatriots in California.

After a disastrous journey, his men are beleaguered, and their animals exhausted. Though they are accompanied by one of the most legendary mountain men and guides of all time in Kit Carson, they find themselves in increasingly dire straits as their compromised forces become surrounded by bands of Mexican citizens-turned-soldiers armed primarily with long, steel-tipped lances.

Though they may appear anachronistic, their tactics and weaponry have repeatedly proven deadly effective against American forces.
Now, General Kearney has sent a request for reinforcements to Captain Gillespie and his Marines in San Diego. In a daring gambit, the Marines manage to slip by Mexican security forces, and finally meet their fellow countrymen in the middle of the San Diego desert.

But it will be here that one of the most vicious battles in the history of the Old West will unfold, between the US Marines and Army Dragoons, and the highly mobile, unexpected lethal forces of the Californio Lancers.

Don’t miss this brutal, little-known story, brought to you by History At The OK Corral: Home Of History’s Greatest Shootouts & Showdowns!

#historyattheokcorral #hokc #california #mexico #usmc